Elmar Mair

Elmar Mair is the CEO and founder of Neatleaf, a company focused on revolutionizing sustainable agriculture through the use of AI and robotics.1

Background and Experience

Mair has a diverse and impressive background in technology and robotics:

• He grew up in the Italian Alps, spending summers on his aunt's farm, which sparked his interest in horticulture.4
• He holds a Dr. rer. nat. in Computer Science from the Technical University of Munich.2
• Prior to founding Neatleaf, Mair held several high-profile positions:
  • Head of Perception at X (formerly Google X), where he led a large engineering team on the Everyday Robot Project.2
  • Head of Autonomous Driving AI at Lucid Motors.2
  • Senior Research Engineer at Robert Bosch LLC, working on autonomous driving.2
  • Researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR).24

Founding Neatleaf

Mair founded Neatleaf in August 2020, during the challenging times of the pandemic.12 The company's inception was inspired by Mair's observations of the gap between technological advancements and practical applications in agriculture, particularly in data collection and process optimization.1

Neatleaf's Technology

Neatleaf's flagship product is the Neat Spider, a cable-based robot that monitors crops in greenhouses.3 This system operates above the crop canopy, collecting detailed data to help growers optimize their operations.4 The technology aims to bring data-driven decision-making to agriculture, improving crop yields and reducing waste.3

Vision and Impact

Mair's goal with Neatleaf is to optimize agricultural processes through advanced data collection and analysis, promoting sustainable farming practices.1 The company started in the cannabis market due to its high margins but has since expanded to other crops like blueberries and leafy greens.4

Elmar Mair's journey from the Italian countryside to leading a cutting-edge AgTech company showcases his passion for combining technology with agriculture to create more efficient and sustainable farming practices.